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> know this is premature at this point, but without charging users for the service, is it reasonable to expect to make money off of this?

Of course they're charging users for this. It's a value-add to Tailscale the app. It's a paid service you have to use to use this.

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Tailscale is free for personal use.

As a Tailscale user, I am well aware. Tailscale being free doesn't mean they don't charge for it.

You comment makes it seem like it’s available only on the paid Tailscale product, or that Tailscale as a whole is only paid.

Ah, no, sorry. I meant "they charge for it in general so every feature that makes the product more useful makes them more money".

I set up Tailscale for personal use a couple years ago (shortly after the general availability announcement). I was blown away by how easy it was so set up, and the functionality it offered (which was only a fraction of what it offers now). I am also heavily involved in purchasing decisions for this sort of software for my employer. Tailscale's personal use plan led directly to a paid plan w/ my employer.

I'm sure I'm not the only such example of that path.

Exactly the same here. By the way, Headscale is great if you want to self-host, equally easy to run and manage.

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